Monday, 11 November 2024

Georgia - Tbilisi Part II

 Continuing our exploration of the music of Tbilisi, we are including some more contemporary sounds.  Jazz fusion band The Shin was actually founded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1998, but by Georgian exiles.  They combine jazz with funk, flamenco and a distinct Georgian flavour with some polyphonic singing. Their name actually translates as home or going home rather than having anything to do with the lower part of the leg.  Here is a live version of a track from their 2006 album EgAri called Chips on the Water:


Singer/songwriter and producer Tamada combines Georgian folk with electronic dance music in a rather unusual blend.  His real name is Lasha Chapel, but his pseudonym apparently is the name for a Georgian table host or toast master. He is originally from Tbilisi, but is based in Berlin these days. Here is a song from his 2024 album 9 Deadly Sins For Tamada called Jinit. 

Georgian American singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze was born in Georgia, but emigrated to the USA when he was 8 years old.  Now based in Brooklyn, he combines Georgian folk with American folk idioms, singing in Georgian and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar and occasionally banjo.  Here is the opening track to his 2019 album Yes & No called Shenma Survilma Damlia:

Folk rock group Mgzavebri we founded in Tbilisi in 2006 by actor Gigi Dedalamazishvili, combining Georgian folk infused with contemporary rock.  After a number of line-up changes the current band consists of 7 members.  Although singing mostly in Georgian, but also in Russian and Ukrainian, they were particularly popular in Russia, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine they have cancelled all concerts there.   The name of the band means Travellers.  Here's a song from their 2023 album Kamara called Waltz, which they used to accompany a short film on the loss of a loved one:

That's it from Tbilisi for today, next we are going to listen to the music of southern Georgia.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map

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